


A Place Just to Be

by Adm_Hawthorne



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-05
Updated: 2018-09-05
Packaged: 2019-06-29 05:10:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15722652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adm_Hawthorne/pseuds/Adm_Hawthorne
Summary: Now that the dust has settled and almost everyone has found their happy ending, Regina decides to take some time away to reflect and recenter. Emma decides she needs a break from her happily ever after as, now that there's nothing to fight and no big mystery of the week, her charming pilot is much less than she thought he was. They find themselves both retreating into the forest, which leads to a much needed conversation which forces Emma to make a choice.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [A Place Just To Be [Art]](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15684063) by [BulletStrong](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BulletStrong/pseuds/BulletStrong). 



“Sis, what has you looking so gloomy?” Zelena carefully sat down next to Regina, keenly aware of the baby sleeping just a room over.

“I’m not gloomy.” Shifting slightly away, Regina kept her eyes on the book in her hand. “I’m reading.”

“Is that so?” Making a show of leaning over, the redhead eyed the pages in question with mirth. “Looks to me that either that book has the same two pages in it for the whole thing, or you’ve been trying to read those same two pages for half an hour now. Either way, I’d say that’s more gloominess than analysis.”

With an overly dramatic sigh, Regina made a show of closing the book before turning her attention to her sister. “It’s been a long few months, and I’m just having a little trouble focusing at the moment. It will pass.”

“A few months?” The older woman dismissively chuckled and rolled her eyes. “More like a few _years_ if you ask me.” She plucked the book out of the hands of her sister to turn it over and examine the cover from front to spine to back. “As difficult as things have been since I arrived, I can’t image what it was like _before_ I even got here.” She opened the book to a random page, read a few lines, scrunched her nose in disgust, and quickly shut the book. “Honestly, Regina, have you gotten a break since Emma came to town?”

The brunette grabbed for her book, pulling it solidly back into her lap. “It depends on your definition of break. I think I managed a few hours of rest after I was electrocuted, but it’s difficult to say. I was passed out at the time.”

Zelena scoffed. “Electrocuted? I can’t decide if that’s kinky or terrifying.”

Regina rolled her eyes. “I can assure you it was far from kinky.” She sighed, the corners of her mouth pulling down a bit. “It also melted one of my favorite rings.”

“Ah, well,” Zelena said with a little shrug, shifting to better face the other woman, “a good excuse to buy another one, I suppose.” She quietly watched her sister’s face go from neutral to completely blank. Giving herself a small head shake to fight the urge to push about the details, she forced herself back to her original point. “But, seriously, Regina, there’s something more going on here than what passes for ordinary in this town. You’ve been more melancholy than normal for the past couple of weeks. Come on, sis,” she nudged the brunette with her socked foot, “spill.”

“I don’t know.” Tiredness and despondency laced Regina’s words. “I guess… maybe it’s all just now really settling in with me.” She heaved a deep sigh, looking down at the book in her hand and flipping unseeingly through the pages as a way to keep from looking at the redhead. “As you just implied, everything over the past six years or so has happened seemingly back to back. There really hasn’t been a lot of time for reflection, and now,” she dropped the book back down into her lap, letting her gaze follow the path of the book, “everything’s settled. The curses are all broken. Most everyone’s found some kind of happy ending, and life is finally moving forward.”

“You’re thinking about Robin?” Zelena’s voice was quiet with caution. It wasn’t a subject either talked about very often for obvious reasons.

“Yes and no.” Regina finally looked back to the other woman. “I suppose I’m thinking about happy endings. In every scenario I ever played out in my mind, none of them ever ended with me alone except for my sister, my niece, and my son. I always thought I might have a true love eventually, or, at the very least, a satisfying ending.”

Zelena’s eyes flickered downward to the floor for a split second. “Yes, I know the feeling.”

“I’m sorry.” Regina stood, shaking her head and taking a few steps backwards away from the sofa. “That was insensitive of me. Maybe I should…”

“…put up that horrible excuse for a novel and go do something fun instead of dwelling on the past?” Her sister stood, pulling the book from her hand and giving her a little smirk. “Yes, I think that’s a fantastic idea.”

“Not exactly what I was thinking, no.” Regina allowed the book to slip her fingertips. “And what’s wrong with the book I’m reading?”

Zelena rolled her eyes as she shelved the book in the wall of Regina’s study. “Paradise Lost? Come on, sis, who reads that kind of thing for fun?” She turned on her heels and defiantly crossed her arms. “You need to get out of the house. Go do something different, something out of your normal routine. Get out of your rut! Robin and I can take care of ourselves while you’re out, and I promise no wild parties or burning the house down while you’re gone.”

The brunette balked. “Are you suggesting I _leave_ town? No.” She adamantly shook her head. “I’m not leaving town _again_ , and I’m not leaving my son.”

“First of all, the only times you’ve left town, as far as I know of, since you created this place were to go get Henry for one reason or another, which means you’ve never left, and you _should_. Secondly, Henry is in high school. As I understand these things, he’s old enough to take care of himself for a weekend while you’re out. Worst case, he can stay with Emma and the pirate.”

“If you’re trying to convince me that Killian is a better person to watch Henry than me staying here to be near him if he needs a parental figure, then you’ve already lost your argument for me taking a vacation,” Regina deadpanned, crossing her arms and glaring at her sister. “I don’t care if he’s married to Emma, that man is an atrocious role model.”

“I hate to say it, but I agree,” Zelena said with another disgusted scrunch of her face. “I never could figure out what she saw in him.”

“That makes two of us.” Regina shook her head wearily. “I once told her she was too good for him, and that’s never changed. Honestly, I think she settled, but I don’t know why. There are plenty of other people, worthy and not so worthy of her, that would be a better match.” She gave a dismissive wave of her hand. “It doesn’t matter now. Captain Guyliner is her husband, so that ship has sailed.”

The redhead shrugged. “For now, but who’s to say? Maybe she’ll come to her senses and realize there’s a better match out there for her?” She gave Regina a quick side eye. “Nothing’s ever written in stone, sis.”

“As much as I damn fate, it’s real. At least, for us, it is, and that means it is, in fact, all written in stone.” Regina took a few long strides to the dry bar in the corner to pour herself two fingers’ of cider. "Maybe I should take a few days off and go camping.”

“Camping?” It was Zelena’s turn to balk. “ _You_ go camping?”

Throwing her head back, Regina took the cider as if it were a shot, letting the cut crystal glass clank quietly back down onto the dry bar. “It reminds me of… well, let’s just say I like the way the forest smells.”

“Ah.” Zelena knowingly nodded. “Then you should go camping. Take a long weekend, go out into the woods, and find your center or whatever it is that hipsters do in the woods these days.”

Regina snorted. “You know, I think I will.”

 

* * *

 

“Killian, I don’t understand why you insist on leaving your boots in random places in the house.” Emma glared at the offending footwear, which were currently haphazardly situated just in front of the bottom of the stairs. “You could leave them by the door.”

“Sorry, love,” he called from the kitchen. “I was using the railing to keep my balance. You know it’s hard for me to pull them off sometimes.” He waved at her with his hook to silently emphasize his reason.

“So use the wall to steady yourself.” She kicked the boots toward the door. “You’re going to make one of use break our arm or worse. You know I don’t have the best balance in the world, and Henry definitely got his gracefulness from me.”

“I’ll try to remember not to do that again, I promise,” he replied with a chuckle as he continued to fry something in a pan on the stovetop.

“How about you don’t try and just do?” Emma furrowed her brows in irritation as she glanced over the living room, her eyes falling on various things that shouldn’t be in the living room. “Honestly,” she mumbled more to herself than aloud to Killian, “Sometimes I think you’re slowly turning me into Yoda.” With a groan, she headed into the living room to begin picking up things.

“I’ll do that in just a moment, Emma,” Hook called out, waving his good hand at her to get her to stop. “You’ve been working all day. Don’t worry about the mess.”

“I wouldn’t have to worry about the mess if you didn’t make one to start with.” She muttered under her breath as her body seemed to drag itself across the room. With each item of clothing or piece of trash she snatched up, her whole being exasperatedly tensed just a bit more. Turning her head toward the kitchen, she called out loud enough for him to actually hear her, “How’s the job search?”

“I think Pete at the docks may have something for me here in a few weeks.” His voice was still jovial, but his body visibly stiffened. “Until then, I thought maybe I’d try my hand at working as a guard at The Rabbit Hole.” He turned around to look at her, pan in hand. “What is it they’re called? Bouncers?”

Emma took in a deep breath and released it slowly. “I’m pretty sure I saw John Henry playing bouncer at the Rabbit Hole last night.”

“And so he is,” Killian replied with the best devilish grin he could muster as he set the pan upon a trivet on the island countertop. “But they’re considering hiring someone over the weekends to give help him a hand with the crowd.” He held his actual hand up and wiggled his fingers, giving his brows a playful wag.

She didn’t bother to notice the light-heartedness in his tone. “Right.” Her voice fell somewhere between disbelieving and wary. Grunting, she awkwardly made her way to the trashcan, dumped what she assumed was trash, and then left the rest in a heap on the floor beside the can. “Put this crap up before bed tonight, okay? I think Henry might come over this weekend, and I want the house clean when he’s here, at least.”

“I can do that.” His smile was a little forced and movements a little too nonchalant. “How about we eat first, love? I made bubble and squeak cakes.”

With another deep groan, Emma settled on a barstool and eyed the food settling in the pan. “Should I be afraid to ask why they’re called bubble and squeak?”

“Nay, of course not!” His chuckle was genuine. “We call them that because that’s the sound they make as they’re cooking. Trust me, Swan, you’re going to love them. Just give them a try.”

She ran a weary hand across her forehead. “Just because I give something a try doesn’t mean I’m going to love it, or even like it for that matter.”

He held his arms out to the side and looked down at himself. “You gave me a try, and look what happened!”

“Yeah,” she leaned over the counter and grabbed a plate, “I see better every day what happened.” Rolling her eyes, she used her fork to poke at the food on her plate.

“You know, Emma, if you have an issue with me for some reason, why don’t you tell me instead of being so roundabout about it?” He leaned back against the cabinets behind him and crossed his hooked arm over his stomach and gestured with his hand. “This passive aggressive situation you have going on right now isn’t very becoming, love.”

“Yeah, well, this not having a job situation _you_ have going on right now isn’t very becoming either.” She forced down a bite of the food, dropped the fork onto the plate, and calmly pushed the whole thing away from her. “I’d be okay with you being a stay-at-home husband if you’d just keep the house clean and cook edible things more often than not, but you don’t.” She stood and made a circle, gesturing around the house. “We’ve been married a few months now, and all you’ve done so far is a few handyman repairs for a couple of people and somehow managed to turn the house into a pigsty about once a week, which, usually, _I_ end up cleaning. I don’t want Henry coming over and wishing he hadn’t because the place is disgusting.”

“Not everyone is a neat freak like our dear mayor, Emma. Besides, what’s wrong with a place looking like it’s lived in?” He followed her line of sight around the room and shrugged. “A few clothes here and there and a couple of pieces of trash never hurt anyone.”

“Seriously? You lived on a ship for, literally, centuries. I know there’s no way you were this gross when you were on your ship. What’s so different here? Is it because you think I should be cleaning the house _and_ bringing in a paycheck?”

He winced. “No, of course not.”

She threw her hands up in the air, glaring heatedly at him. “Then what is it, Killian? What is it that’s keeping you from being an actual, productive member of society? Now that we’re not running around trying to save the town, save the kid, or save ourselves, what is it that you’re doing with your time? I would really like to know because, while I’m actually working, the only thing you seem to be doing is a whole lot of nothing, and, frankly, I’m getting tired of it.”

“Emma, that’s not fair. You know I’m trying to find the right job.” He began to walk around the island, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder.

“You know what? No.” She abruptly stepped back, out of his impending grasp. “We’re not doing this. You’re not going to play the ‘I love you’ card again so you don’t have to do anything except mooch off of me.” She shook her head, taking another step away from him. “I’m just not doing this. In fact, I need a break.” She turned toward the door.

“A break? What do you mean a break?” Killian followed, voice beginning to sound a touch frantic. “What are you saying?”

With a quick motion, she turned on her heels to face him, hand reaching to the side and making a gesture. Smoke appeared and evaporated just as fast, leaving a red leather jacket in its wake. “I’m saying I need to get away from you for a few days. I have the next three days off. I’m taking them _without_ you. When I get back, you had better have a job or a new attitude on what your responsibilities are here in this house.”

“Leaving? Leaving to go where?” He tried to reach for her arm again only to grab air as she easily sidestepped him. “Come now, Swan, let’s talk about this.”

“I’m done talking about this. This is all we’ve been talking about for months, and I mean what I’m telling you, Killian. Have a job or a new attitude. I’ll be back in three days.” With a wave of her free hand, she vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving Killian standing alone in an empty house.

Running a hand over his face, her let out a long groan of his own. “Damn.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Henry, do your auntie a favor and grab a bottle of water for me while you’re up, would you?” Zelena shifted back into the cushions of the sofa and casually flipped over the page in the book she was reading.

“Yeah, okay,” Henry replied over his shoulder as he stepped into the kitchen. Glancing around, he found everything spotless and a note on the counter with an envelope next to it. He couldn’t help but smile. Even if his mother was leaving him alone for the weekend, there was no way she was going to leave him without contingency plans.

A quick glance in the envelope revealed a handful of twenty-dollar bills, and he nodded to himself. That seemed about right for his mom. The letter was perfectly written in a script he would swear was a computer font if he’d never seen Regina write anything down. Shaking his head in bemusement, he read the note:

Henry,

I know we’ve already discussed this over dinner tonight, but I wanted to make certain you would be fine. I’ve left a few pre-made meals in the refrigerator, and there is enough money in the envelope to handle any incidental expense needs while I’m out. Don’t give any of the money to Zelena.

If you need anything, I’m taking my phone with me. Call me, or you can call Emma.

I love you, my little prince,

Mom

He snorted. Clearly, his moms hadn’t bothered to talk to each other tonight because the text message he’d gotten from his blonde-haired mother read, “Killian is driving me nuts. I’m taking a mental break from him, the house, and the job. Don’t worry. I’m not running away. I’ll see you on Monday. Love you, Kid.” He shrugged; there must be something in the water today.

Grabbing two bottles of water from the fridge, he pocketed the note and envelope before heading back into the living room. “I’m going to head to bed soon.”

Zelena nodded, taking the bottle with her free hand. “I take it you found Regina’s note telling you not to give me money?”

Henry uncomfortably shifted his weight and ducked his head down. “Yeah.”

“Don’t worry, Henry. I know how she is, but she’s clearly off her game.” She looked up at him over the top of her book. “She should’ve known I’d find that note before you did, and, honestly, if there’d been money on the counter, it’s not like I couldn’t’ve taken it before you ever got to it.” She rolled her eyes and quickly flipped the page. “Of course, there’d have to _be_ money on the counter for that to even matter, which is _why_ she’s off her game.”

He chuckled, sticking a hand into the pocket where the money awkwardly rested. “Well, I guess you were right. She really does need a vacation.” His fingers tightened around the envelope and tingled with a touch of magic. He tried not to laugh, clearing his throat and looking away for a quick moment in the hopes that he’d schooled his features quickly enough for his aunt to not notice anything was amiss.

Zelena rolled her eyes. “ _Of course_ I was right.” With a heavy sigh, she closed the book and let it drop into her lap. “This Milton fellow,” she gestured down at the novel, “had quite the imagination. Talking snakes, demons, and everything having a price. Are we certain this world was magicless before we arrived?”

“Honestly, I wonder sometimes,” he replied with a smirk. “Okay, well, I’m headed up to my room for the night. Good night, Aunt Zelena.”

“Good night, Henry. Try not to get kidnapped while you’re sleeping. That just might be enough to make your mothers lose what little sanity they have left.” She picked the book back up and waved him off with a flippant motion.

“Yeah, I’ll try to not let that happen,” he replied with a wince. He felt the desire to be angry with her about the comment, but there was too much truth to it for his anger to really be justified. As he climbed the stairs, he considered that perhaps this extended weekend would be a good chance for him to stay home for three days and binge play _Heavy Rain_.

That seemed reasonably safe.

 

* * *

 

 

With some magic, a thoroughly written checklist of items to bring, and an avid determination to actually take a break, Regina had managed to quickly pack and be on her way out into the woods before full night had fallen. By the time the temperature began to drop, she’d found a safe place to park her car, hiked deep into the woods near the town, and set up a respectable camp.

Of course, it helped that half the trouble of camp set up and overall transportation into the woods was taken care of by magical means, which meant she wasn’t even close to exhausted as she stretched out on the pallet situated outside her tent and close enough to the fire to keep her warm.

Her surroundings were everything she’d hoped. Although not the least bit quiet; the trees’ whispers were soothing, and she could feel her muscles slowly unknot as she lay gazing up at the stars through the crisp, cloudless night.

Realms changed and time passed, but, oddly, the stars remained the same. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she made a mental note to contemplate what that meant regarding multiple dimensions and realm travel, but, for now, she just wanted to get lost in the vastness surrounding her.

Within the serene peace that comes with the smells and sounds of the forest, she found herself feeling less like a pivotal figure in the cogs of the machine she’d helped to create and more like a small piece of a bigger picture that she had yet to come close to fully realizing.

The encompassing bubble of her small piece of earth seemed to her to suddenly be filled with infinite possibilities. In its own way, that made the whole experience of being alone in her encampment magical, even if she’d never done a single magical thing to create the respite surrounding her.

Her thoughts were just beginning to drift off into pleasant memories from her childhood when Daniel was there and everything had yet to crumble into dust when she heard the disturbance. Instantly on edge, she sat up and slowly looked around her, trying to see through the tree line.

Whatever had caused the disruption was forceful enough to spook the animals, many of whom had run away from the commotion. From what she could tell based on the animals’ exodus, the thing wasn’t far away. It would’ve already seen her campfire, so it was too late to put it out. Her best option was to prepare for an encounter.

She slowly rose from the pallet, her hand lowering as the fireball formed. The sound of footsteps approaching told her the person who caused the upset was headed toward her from the north. She turned and ready herself, wondering if it was too late to try to call someone to let them know what was going on.

Before she could decide if she should make the call, a figure stepped into the ring of campfire light, and her whole body seized up for a split second before her anger set in full force.

“What the hell are you doing here,” she growled out at her intruder.

“Me?” Emma looked around, cocking an eyebrow. “I should be asking _you_ that. I thought queens didn’t do roughing it.”

Regina dropped her hand, letting the fireball fizzle out before falling back to her pallet. “Clearly, you were mistaken.” She motioned to a nearby log and watched as the other woman took a seat. “Trouble in paradise?”

The younger woman hunched over, resting her elbows on her knees and staring into the fire for a moment. “You could say that.”

The brunette pursed her lips in thought as she considered her unexpected guest. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Nope.” Emma’s eyes glazed over and her body tensed more, jaw flexing as her teeth ground against each other. “What are you doing out here?”

“I decided to take a little vacation, and, since actually leaving the town is out of the question, I thought camping might do the trick.” Regina shifted, leaning back against an elbow and stretching her legs in front of her so she could see Emma and still be comfortable. “Do you at least have a plan for where you’re going to spend the night?”

“Not really.” Emma sighed, finally looking over to the other woman. “But it’s not like I haven’t slept in my car before.”

“Emma, there’s no reason for you to sleep in your car. Besides,” Regina smirked, eyes dancing with mischief, “that deathtrap of yours is so easy to find that it’d take the Handless Wonder less time to find you than it normally takes for him to find an excuse to not get a real job.”

The blonde snarled under her breath, and Regina startled a bit. “I’m sorry, Emma. I wasn’t trying to touch on a nerve.”

“No, it’s fine. I guess it’s not really a secret that Killian doesn’t do anything. I mean,” she leaned back, turning to straddle the log and face Regina, “nothing is a secret in this town. I could sneeze and have people from three blocks away bless me.”

Regina chuckled. “Small town life at its best.” She watched the younger woman wince and frowned at the deep circles under her friend’s eyes and the downtrodden slump to her shoulders. This was not the same defiant bondsperson who knocked on her door with Henry in tow years before, even if the jacket _was_ the same. In fact, watching her now was like watching an actor who only partially understood the person they were intent on portraying. It felt wrong. “You could stay here. I don’t have an extra sleeping bag, but one of us could sleep on the pallet. It’s comfortable enough.”

“I really don’t want to intrude on your alone time,” Emma replied in a dejected voice. “I honestly don’t even know why I poofed myself here instead of going to Granny’s or my parents’ for the night. I can just go there. It’s no big deal.”

“Emma,” Regina shook her head, holding a hand up to stop any more disagreement on it, “stay here with me. We can camp for the weekend, and then go back to town on Sunday. I left Henry safely at home, and, honestly, I wouldn’t mind the company. I love my sister and the children, but it’d be nice to have an adult conversation that wasn’t centered on poop filled diapers or college application forms.”

“He’s growing up too fast.” Emma groaned. “Maybe we should cast another curse and stop time so he won’t get any older?”

“I’m fresh out of life-destroying-time-stopping curses, sorry,” Regina replied with a half shrug. “But, if I wasn’t, I’d certainly consider it.”

The younger woman ducked her head and glanced up through her eyelashes toward the brunette. “You really don’t mind?”

“No.” Standing, Regina waved her hand over the fire to extinguish it. “In fact, we should probably share the tent. It’s big enough for two, and I can’t leave the fire going all night. It’s too dangerous. We’ll move the pallet in there, and you can take that. I’ll take the sleeping bag. Between the two of us, that should be enough warmth.”

Emma slowly stood up and looked around as if searching for something. “I’m sure I’d be fine out here.”

“I’m sure you’ll be fine in the tent, too,” Regina declared while she pulled the pallet toward the tent. “Now, be helpful, and use some of your magic to clean this pallet off so we’re not sleeping in dirt and dry plant debris.”

Emma pulled her jacket off as she moved in the direction of the tent. Waving a hand, they watched the pallet go from muddy to clean, and, in a few moments, both women were comfortably situated inside the warmth of the shelter. “You know, six years ago, I’d never have believed anyone who told me that I’d voluntarily be sharing a tent out in the middle of the woods with Mayor Mills.”

“Yes, well, six years ago, I’d have never believed that I would voluntarily sleep in anything less than 100% cotton.” Regina zipped up the bag and shifted down into it. “We all change.”

Emma chuckled. “Good night, Regina, and thank you.”

Regina hummed in reply before drifting off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

 “If you’re here at this time of the day, that means either Emma is at the station super early or something is wrong at home.” Ruby sat a coffee cup down in front of Killian with a thunk. “Which is it?”

“Not today, wolf. I’m not in the mood.” Killian pulled the hot mug up to his face and allowed the steam to wash over his tired features. “Instead of the interrogation, how about you get me the breakfast special?”

“So, option number two it is.” The waitress half turned toward the order window and shouted through the empty diner, “A couple of bricks with Texas jelly, two dots, and a double dash.”

From the grill, Eugenia yelled back through the window, “How does he want those crackleberries?”

Ruby turned back to Hook with an expectant look. “Well?”

“Well what?” He glanced from the waitress to the window and back again. “Have you two been at this so long you’ve developed your own language?”

She rolled her eyes and laid a hand on her hip. “How do you want your eggs?”

“Oh.” He grunted and gave a little peeved sniff. “Why didn’t you just ask me that before? Over easy.”

She turned back to the window. “Flop two!”

“This whole damn town is mad,” he grumbled under his breath before taking a sip of coffee.

“So,” Ruby set the hot coffee pot down on the end of the table and slid into the booth opposite a clearly exasperated pirate, “what’s going on between you and Emma?”

“Don’t you have something better to do right now?” He looked around the diner, eyes flicking from one empty table to the next. “I’m sure there’s sugar canisters to fill or silverware to be wrapped, or something.”

She smirked, cocking an eyebrow definitely at him. “Nope; I’m all out of menial tasks.”

“Alright, then why don’t you go call your girlfriend and annoy her until my food is ready?” He emptied his cup and helped himself to the coffee pot.

She groaned. “Dorothy’s asleep right now. No one but me, Granny, and people who are having relationship troubles are ever up this early in the morning.” She tapped the table with a well-manicured finger and demanded again, “Spill.”

“No.” He slowly shook his head in the negative as he finally made full eye contact with her. “What goes on in my marriage is between me and my wife. It’s none of your concern, wolf, and I’ll thank you to remember that. Emma and I aren’t here to be fodder for your gossip.”

She leaned to the side and pushed herself out of the booth. “From what I can tell, Emma isn’t here _at all_ , and I don’t really need you to tell me what’s going on. The whole town knows.” She grabbed the pot, topping off his mug and splashing just a little hot coffee on his hand as she pulled back. “You need to get a job, Killian, because, if you don’t, Emma’s going to leave your butt. I know we all talk about love being the end-all, and, coming from someone with a proven True Love this probably sounds pretty jacked up, but love alone isn’t always enough.”

“First of all, I didn’t ask you for your advice, and I surely didn’t ask you to butt into my marriage. The whole town thinks it knows what’s going on between me and Emma. Well, you don’t, and,” he glared up at her, his eyes going from fatigued to enraged, “Emma chose _me_. She went after _me_ straight through the Underworld. She saved _me_ from death. _My life_ was restored because of our love _for each other_. The sacrifices she’s made have been because of her love for _me_.” He pointed at her, livid heat darkening his tone. “Neither you nor anyone else in this God forsaken town has any right to imply that I am anything but Emma’s true love.”

Ruby turned on her heels to grab the order sitting in the window. She plunked the thick, ceramic dishes onto the Formica tabletop and waited until he looked up at her again. “Yeah, but you know what she _never_ did _for you_?” She watched him seethe at her for a moment. “She never saved you with True Love’s Kiss, and she didn’t sacrifice her soul to protect yours, now did she?” She leaned over and whispered in his ear, “Maybe you should really think about that?” With a disdainful snort, she walked away from the table and into the back of the diner.

Standing, Killian threw enough money down on the table to cover the tab and stormed out the front door. He hadn’t come to breakfast to be mocked.

 

* * *

 

 

“Would it be wrong if I magically silenced those two birds?” Emma pulled what excess portion of her pallet she could and tried her best to cover her head. “Why are they so loud so early in the morning?”

“A bird conspiracy to force us to wake up at sunrise, clearly,” Regina muttered as she snuggled into her sleeping bag. “It’s just the two of us. No one would know.”

“Damn it.” Emma grunted and then whined. “Now I have to pee. I bet it’s freezing out there.”

“Poof to my bathroom, use it, and come back.” Regina wiggled a hand out of the top of the bag and poked Emma in the back of the head. “Hurry up and go so I can, and brush your teeth while you’re there. I have extra toothbrushes under the counter.”

“God, what are you, my mother?” With a huff, Emma sat up and waved a hand to disappear in a puff of smoke. Regina managed to fall asleep again by the time Emma reappeared. The blonde watched the steady rise and fall of the lump that was Regina-in-bag for a few seconds before tapping the brunette on the top of the head until it was clear she was awake again. “Your turn.”

Regina drowsily peaked from over of the top her bag and narrowed her eyes. “Did you shower?”

“Yeah.” The blonde shrugged. “I figured I was there; might as well. I also popped over to my place because Killian wasn’t there and grabbed these.” She motioned down the length of her body, and grinned at the older woman’s amused grunt. “Red, flannel footsie pajamas, and this!” She held up a pile of warm looking blankets. “I’m so excited for more sleep.”

“I can’t decide if I’m amused you have an adult flannel onesie or horrified.” Regina reluctantly unzipped herself from the bag and rubbed at her eyes. “However, you may be onto something. I’ll be back in a bit.” She turned to watch Emma eagerly resituated herself on her pallet. “Breakfast?”

“Sleep,” the blonde declared as she burritoed into the warm, soft blankets. “And come back in something for sleeping. Those aren’t sleeping clothes. Those are hiking clothes.”

“Well, you’ll have to forgive me. I hadn’t expected company when I planned this trip, so I didn’t bother to pack sleeping clothes,” Regina deadpanned before popping off in her own puff of smoke.

Emma finally found her comfy spot and began to settle into the space between sleep and wakefulness when Regina’s last comment finally clicked with her. “Wait?” Her eyes flew opened and she blanched a little. “Did she just say she sleeps naked?”

Outside, the birds began to chirp again.

 

* * *

 

Regina reappeared in their tent wearing a pair of black silk pajamas and red fuzzy socks. She smirked at the Emma Burrito before carefully making her way back to her sleeping bag. As she tried to slide down between the layers, her hand ran across the open zipper, cutting it, and causing her to let out a pained hiss.

Emma was awake and sitting up in an instant. “What is it? What happened?” She was already starting to move into a defensive crouch when Regina placed a calming hand on her forearm.

“I accidentally caught my hand on the zipper.” She held it up to show off her freshly created wound. “It’ll be fine. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“That looks nasty.” Reaching out, Emma gently took hold of Regina’s hand and pulled it closer to her. “I’m going to heal it.”

The brunette began to protest, ready to heal herself. “You don’t have to do tha…”

With a wave of her hand, Emma’s magic washed over Regina, and the wound healed. Regina let out something between a gasp and a yelp as the other woman’s magic seemed to travel from the wound and radiate out over her body. She shivered as she quickly glanced up to see Emma’s eyes closed and jaw flex as her body, too, shivered.

“I always forget,” Emma spoke quietly, her voice slightly shaken, “how much our magic likes each other.”

“Yes, it,” Regina swallowed dryly. Staring down at their still touching hands, she couldn’t decide if she should pull away or let the other woman take the lead. As it stood, Emma had yet to even open her eyes. “…it’s always been a complimentary experience.” Regina’s eyes flicked between the blonde’s strained features and closed eyes to their hands and back again. “It’s why we’ve been able to accomplish such amazing things when we joined forces.”

Emma’s eyes flew open and her mouth curved down into a grimace. “I don’t think that’s only because our magic works well together.”

“No, I don’t think so, either.” The space inside the small tent was beginning to feel heavy with something Regina was certain she should not pursue. “Like all things in life, it’s multilayered.” She gently wiggled the fingers of her freshly healed hand as a way to get Emma to decide what was going to happen next.

The younger woman sighed heavily and unenthusiastically let go of the brunette’s hand. “I’m not so sure that’s true. I mean, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, you know?” She looked away, suddenly very interested in the lint of one of her blankets. “You think something, or someone, is complicated and multilayered, but sometimes,” she gave a one shoulder shrug, her whole body hunching over as she spoke, “they’re just not.”

Regina watched Emma for a brief moment as she tried to decide if she had any right to ask the question bubbling up in her throat, but they were friends now. They trusted each other, and it was clear her friend was hurting. She wanted to help. “Is this about Killian?”

Emma glanced up through her eyelashes, keeping her head down while her grimace grew deeper. “Would you be surprised if I told you yes?”

“I won’t pry any more than I have already, and I won’t push you for things you don’t want to tell me, but, if you want to talk, my offer still stands. Out of everyone in Storybrooke, Emma, I _promise_ I am the one person here who can _least_ judge and _you_ can _most_ trust.” She moved around, awkwardly pushing and pulling her sleeping bag until it laid open flat like a pallet. Grunting with the effort of moving in the confining space, she turned to sit cross-legged in the middle of her makeshift pallet so she could see Emma without feeling restricted or uncomfortable. If Emma wanted to talk, then she was ready and willing to listen.

Emma watched while the older woman rearranged herself, and, once Regina seemed to be done building a nest of sleep bag and pillows around herself, she finally sat up and mirrored the other woman’s posture and position. “I… I think I do want to talk, but I don’t know what I want to say.”

Staring down at her hands, Emma ran the pointer finger of her right hand slowly over the rings decorating the ring finger of her left. “Does it sound ungrateful to say that your happy ending after the credits rolled turned out to be yet another problem to solve?”

Regina chuckled mirthlessly. “Only to people who don’t understand that happy endings aren’t so easy to come by as Disney would have you believe.” She waited until Emma looked up to make eye contact. “Things that happen in the heat of the moment and make sense at the time often seem like poorly executed decisions once the smoke’s cleared and you’ve had time to really thing about it. That’s the problem with almost constantly being in danger and running from one town-destroying adventure to the other without breaks. You never have time to really sit and reflect.” She gave her own halfhearted shrug. “That’s why I’m here this weekend, to reflect. As my sister so kindly reminded me, I haven’t had a vacation in over 60 years.”

The blonde’s eyes grew wide in an instant. Her brain, once focused on Killian, was suddenly and derailing focused on Regina. “Wait a minute… _60 years_?” She shook her head, eyebrows pulling down in confusion. “Exactly how old _are_ you?”

“Younger than your pirate by a few hundred years,” Regina replied with an eye roll. “My age is not the point,” she began to chastise Emma only for the blonde’s stomach to growl in protest. Regina sighed. “Why don’t we bookmark this conversation until after we’ve had something to eat?”

“Great idea.” Emma’s eyes began to sparkle just a touch. “What are we having for breakfast?”

“I brought coffee and tamales for breakfast.” The brunette waved away the oncoming question with a brush of her hand before poofing the food between them. “I picked up a taste for the combination when I first arrived in this land. Don’t, as you and Henry like to tell me, knock it until you try it.” She held her hand over the food and canister, allowing her magic to warm both.

“Okay,” Emma replied suspiciously. “Where did you have this stuff stored, anyway?”

“In my car, which is a few miles away. I didn’t want animals to get into it when I was away, and, since I’m capable of using a little magic to bring something to me when I want it if I know where it’s at, I thought this would be a good plan.”

Reaching out for one of the tamales, Emma began to carefully unfurl it from the cornhusk. She was visibly relieved when two paper plates and some napkins appeared in front of her. She picked up a plate and tried the tamale unwrapping again. “This is way more than enough for one person. Am I eating your breakfast for tomorrow?”

“No, I always over pack food when I travel.” Regina winced. “I think it’s a habit from having Henry around.”

“Yeah, the kid has a hollow leg,” Emma replied with a snort through a mouthful of tamale. “He gets that from me.”

Regina nodded sagely. “Yes, I’m well aware.”


	4. Chapter 4

“Hey, Aunt Zelena, did you hear Mom’s shower running earlier, or was that just me?” Henry settled down into the oversized chair in the living room with his phone in one hand and a bottle of water in the other.

“Camping or not,” his aunt replied with a smirk, “she’s still a queen, Henry. I’m sure she popped in to freshen up before going off to do whatever it is a queen does when they’re alone in the woods. Lock princesses in towers?”

Henry rolled his eyes, shifting in the chair so that his legs fell over one arm and his back rested against the other, which allowed him to watch Zelena play with Robin where they were situated on the floor. “Gothel was never a queen,” he replied in an annoyed voice reminiscent of Regina’s own tone whenever Zelena was being particularly obnoxious. “But, I guess you have a point about coming here to shower and stuff. I mean, if I could camp in the woods without having to do _other_ stuff in the woods, I’d totally take advantage of that, too.”

“Magic _can_ be convenient.” Zelena moved the toy keys in her hand in front of daughter’s face and smiled brightly as Robin made a grab for them. “The better question isn’t if Regina came home to take a shower but who she brought with her.”

“What do you mean?” That question clearly threw the young man off guard, and he dropped his phone onto his stomach to give his aunt his full attention. “I didn’t hear any voices.”

“No, but the shower ran twice at two very different times. They were close enough together that I doubt it was Regina both times, so, whoever it was would have to have magic of their own, be familiar with this house, and be someone who is allowed into Regina’s personal areas through the barrier spells she’s put up for protection.” Zelena relented, allowing Robin to have the keys to chew on. She turned to her nephew and cocked an eyebrow in what looked like a dare to Henry. “Know anyone who fits that description?”

Henry shook his head and shifted around on the chair. “Yeah,” he reluctantly replied, clearly displeased with the direction of this conversation, “but why would my moms be camping together? I mean, I know they’re friends, but that just seems weird.”

“Does it?” Zelena tilted her head to the side and chuckled quietly. “Are you so sure about that, nephew?”

“Hey, look,” Henry swung his legs down to stand up, careful not to knock anything off the side table, “Mom is married to Killian, and I know they’re going through a rough patch, but I really don’t think she’s the cheating type, and my other mom…”

“Cheated with Robin on Myriam when Emma accidentally brought Robin’s wife back here from the past,” Zelena cut in. With a sigh, she stood, and bent over to scoop her daughter up. “You’d be surprised what people will do when given the right set of circumstances.” She walked Robin to the crib setup in the living room and gently lowered her down for her nap. “I’m not judging my sister, mind you. I’m the _last_ person to do that, but I will tell you this, Henry,” she turned around and crossed her arms, tilting her chin up just a touch, “Your mother has been mopey and completely miserable since Emma married that pirate. Do you really think it all has to do with losing Robin?”

“He was her soulmate, Zelena,” Henry protested, throwing an arm to the side and pointing toward the general direction of the cemetery. “I’m pretty sure losing your soulmate _forever_ isn’t something you can just get over. Of course she’s going to be mopey and miserable.”

“I can assure you, Henry, that I know _exactly_ what it feels like to lose your soulmate _forever_.” Zelena sneer at him. “And you _are_ correct that you don’t simply get over it, but,” she waved her hand dismissively in front of her face and chocked down a few dry swallows. “…never mind. Just consider what I’ve said and what you know. I’m going to go upstairs and take a shower while the baby is sleeping.”

“Fine,” he replied in a deeply resentful tone. “I’ll stay here and watch her.” With an angry grunt, he returned to his spot on the oversized chair.

She nodded and headed for the staircase. “Thank you.”

 

* * *

 

“Killian, what are you doing here? I figured you and Emma would be spending some quality time together since she’s not working this weekend.” David pulled his feet off of his desk and tried to sit up a light straighter. “Is everything okay?”

“Aye, things are fine.” In an overtly casually way, Killian walked around David’s desk and toward Emma’s. “The wife is just taking some personal time this weekend.” He sat down as though he had the authority to fill the sheriff’s chair and began nonchalantly picking at the paperwork scattered across her work area. “So I thought I might come here and see if there was anything I could do to help out. You know, surprise her so that she doesn’t come back to more work than she left.”

“Well, that’s thoughtful, but you know you really can’t do anything here. I mean, maybe do some cleaning, but you’re not a deputy, so you can’t do basic paperwork, and,” David shrugged, “you’re not the sheriff, so you can’t do Emma’s specific paperwork.” He chuckled good-naturedly. “I’m pretty sure Regina would notice that it wasn’t Emma doing the paperwork handed into City Hall, and I don’t think she’d appreciate it, even if Emma might.”

Killian grunted, letting a sticky note fall back down to the desktop. “I suppose that’s true. Regina’s never really taken a shine to me.”

“I’d say give her time, but I think you’re just out of luck on this one, but,” David spun around in his chair to fully face the other man. With a twinkle in his eyes, he winked and gave a playful finger point in Hook’s direction, “at least you know that she’s not going to try take you out just because she doesn’t like you. Trust me on this one; that is _not_ an experience you want.” He over exaggerated a shiver. “That woman can be relentless when she wants something.”

Pushing back from the desk, Killian made his way toward the open jail cell as her mumbled to himself, “How about when she wants _someone?_ ”

David’s eyebrows shot up in shock. “Did you say someone?” He turned his chair to slowly follow Hook’s path. “Is… is Regina making passes at you, Killian?”

The question stopped Killian in his tracks, and he was snorting with laughter before he could catch himself. “What? No, of course not.” He wiped at his eyes and took in a few deep breaths. “Regina and I have been many a thing to each other, but lovers we were never, and will never, be.”

“Oh.” David tilted his head and narrowed his eyes as he silently watched the other man begin to pace. He turned back to the work on his desk and wrote a few things down before setting his pen down with a decided click and turning back to the still pacing Hook. “Killian, does this have to do with you and Emma?”

“Emma and I are fine,” Killian immediately shot back. “I wish this town would learn to mind its own.”

With a confused and frustrated scoff, David stood to block the pacing and force Hook to look at him. “I like you, Killian, and I love my daughter. I want you both to be happy, so, if there’s something going on and I can help, I want you to know you can trust me.”

Killian glanced away and shifted his weight, taking a few steps back for space. “She’s angry because I don’t have a full-time job.”

David nodded knowingly. “Yeah, I kind of figured that might be it.” He leaned a hip against the side of his desk and crossed his arms. “Any leads on that?”

“A few.” Hook shook his head and began to pace again. “But it’s difficult for me here in this place. I’ve never really been cut out for just sitting around, and I can only do certain kinds of manual labor.” He held his hook up as a form of explanation. “Being on dry land makes me feel unfulfilled in a way I’m not sure anyone who isn’t a sailor would ever truly understand. Don’t get me wrong. My heart is with Emma. I knew I wanted her to be mine the moment I first laid eyes upon her back in the Enchanted Forest.”

“Well, maybe that’s your problem?” David’s face pulled down into a stark frown. “Maybe it’s an ownership issue and not a job issue?”

Hook stopped pacing, cocking his head and pulling his eyebrows down in thought. “What do you mean?”

“Let me put it this way.” David returned to his chair, turning it as he spoke so that he could start back on his paperwork, “Not once in all the years that I’ve been with Snow have I ever said she was mine.” He picked his pen up and lowered his eyes to the papers. “I need to finish this, and I think you need to leave.”

Throwing his arms to the side in exasperation, Killian stormed out of the office leaving David to think over the past few years as he tried to fruitlessly to work. 


	5. Chapter 5

“Do you think we should put on real clothes and go hiking or something?” Emma threw her arms up over her head and pointed her toes in a full body stretch on the new pallet Regina had conjured up for them lay on outside tent.

“Ordinarily, I would say yes. However,” Regina yawned and rolled onto her stomach. With a lackadaisical huff and a few half-hearted grunts, she arranged herself to allow her head to comfortably rest on her folded arms so she could see Emma’s profile in the mid-morning sunlight. “for once perhaps we should actually take a real break and do nothing?”

Emma chuckled. “When was the last time either one of us actually did nothing?”

Snuggling down further into her side of the pallet, Regina sighed thoughtfully. “Not including sleeping?” At the other woman’s confirming grumble, she shrugged. “Although I can’t really speak for your entire life, I’d be willing to guess that the answer for both of us is never.”

“Yeah, and it sucks. I thought that, by now, I’d have found some kind of down time.” The younger woman turned her head to face her friend. “I mean, I always thought that, if I got married – which was _always_ a big if – that I’d finally find some kind of, I don’t know… peace, you know? Like, I’d finally be able to be somewhere with the person who gets me the most and we could just sit without needing to do something and without feeling like it was wasted time. We wouldn’t need to do anything, say anything, or _be_ anything. We could just…”

“Exist?” Regina nodded. “I think I understand what you mean. There should be moments when you don’t have to be your titles. You can just be…”

“Nothing.” Emma released a long, heavy sigh. “I thought that, once the smoked cleared around here, titles wouldn’t matter, but I guess I should’ve known better. I’ll always be the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. I’ll always be The Savior, the Sheriff, to some extent the Dark One, and now I get to add Killian’s wife and probably his true love. Like, when do I just get to be Emma?”

Regina quirked an eyebrow. “Probably?”

Emma’s brows pulled down in confusion. “What? I’ll probably get to be Emma?”

“No.” The brunette pulled the word out as she sat up to fully face the prone woman. “You said ‘and probably his true love.’ Emma, are you having doubts?”

“No… no, of course not.” The blonde rolled her head back to stare at the clear, blue sky above her. Sighing again, she raised an arm over her head and allowed her hand to drop down dramatically atop her forehead before slowly pulling it down her face. “Would I sound ungrateful if I said ‘maybe,’ though?”

“No, I’d say you sound newly married, but I’m not really the right person to ask for, one, relationship advice, and, two, advice specifically related to that pirate. You know I’ve always said you were too good for him.”

“Yeah, you never have really been on Team Killian,” Emma replied with a dour chuckle. “And, here lately, neither am I.” She rose up to sit crossed legged in front of the brunette on their shared pallet. “Honestly, Regina, I’m starting to wonder if what I thought was love was maybe something else. I mean, he’s a good guy.” At the older woman’s distrustful look, she held a hand up defensively. “He _is_ , or, at least, he’s _trying to be_. He’s done all these things to prove his love, and, Regina,” Emma’s voice fell into a quiet groan, her tone laced with guilt, “I drug our family into literal Hades to save the man. He’s been there for me, and I…. I…” She closed her eyes to swallow down the emotional lump in her throat.

“You know,” Regina’s voice was gentle, “I’ve come to learn that hindsight is both a blessing and a curse.” She crossed her arms over her stomach and glanced around at their incongruously serene surroundings. “Looking back at my life, I realize I was always searching for the love my mother could never give me and the feeling of protection my father never could. I think, ultimately, that’s how I ended up being so easily manipulated by Rumple. He made me feel cared for, in a twisted sort of way, and his power made me feel protected.” She shook her head, dissipating the feelings that still haunted her. “I think the most important lesson I’ve learned from all of this is that the right attention from the wrong individual during a lonely time can fool you into thinking they might be someone worthy of your trust and sometimes even your love.”

“So you’re saying I was never in love with Killian. I was… what? In love with the idea of Killian?” Emma scoffed, glaring at Regina with slowly freezing eyes. “Are you saying I let myself get tricked because I’m some kind of sad, lonely person?”

“No, I’m not saying that at all.” Regina sighed, her frown growing deeper. “I’m just… I’m worried for you, Emma. I see you every day, and each new day seems to bring a new level of tired into your eyes. Your body seems to drag with the weight of whatever it is that’s hurting you, and I wish I could do something to help.” She reached a careful hand out to place it on the blonde’s knee to give it a warm squeeze. “I care about you, I want you to be happy, and, right now, you don’t seem very happy at all.”

“Yeah,” Emma nodded slowly, eyes finally finding Regina’s again, “I’m worried about me, too. I know I’m not myself, but I just don’t know why.” She shook her head. “Maybe I just need a break?”

“Perhaps,” Regina replied with a hint of mischief in her voice, “Or maybe you just needed some time away from the pirate? Frankly, I’m enjoying our time together.”

“You know, so am I,” Emma replied with a small small starting to grace her lips. “I think I’ve had enough of talking about Killian. How about we do something? I think I saw a lake not far from here, didn’t I?”

Regina’s lips quirked up. “You did. Swimming?”

“Yes.” Emma bounced up from their pallet and waved her hand, and a black-and-white two-piece bathing suit poofed into her open palm.

The brunette followed, and, a second later, a deep blue two-piece popped into her own hands. “You _do_ know how to use your magic to change clothes, don’t you?”

“No, I managed to be the Dark One for over a year, and I learned nothing from the experience,” Emma dryly replied before waving her hand and stepping through the magical fog to reappear in her swimwear.

Regina’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Well, I wonder what else you retained from your time as the Dark One?”

Emma chuckled as she turned to head toward the lake, a towel magically appearing in her hand. “Wouldn’t _you_ like to know?”

 

* * *

 

 

“Killian, what are you doing here?” Henry stepped aside to allow Hook to enter the Mills’ residence.

“Henry, my boy, how about a lesson in fishing?” With a dashing smile and a nod backward, Killian motioned toward the still open door. “It’s high time we spent a little quality time together. What do you say, hm, lad? Just you, me, a couple of fishing poles, and the crisp ocean air?”

“I think,” the young Mills glanced over his shoulder toward the den where his video game was on pause, “that it sounds like a really long day in the sun, and, honestly, Killian, I’d rather finish this game I’ve been trying to play for, like, three years. Besides, my moms are both taking a break this weekend, and I don’t really want to risk them having to cut it short because some bad-guy-of-the-week decides he needs to kidnap me,” he rolled his eyes defeatedly, “ _again_.”

“You can’t be serious!” Hook set his good hand solidly on the younger man’s shoulder. “It’s just a little fishing, and, besides, you’re practically an adult. You can take care of yourself.”

Henry shifted his weight and glanced away from the older man’s determined stare. “Yeah, I don’t think I want to. I mean, thanks for the offer, but, for once, I think I just want to stay home until Mom gets back.”

Killian’s fingers flexed against Henry’s shoulder. “Lad, I think maybe you need to spend more time around your own kind. I’m afraid you might be getting soft.”

“My own kind?” Tilting his head and narrowing his eyes, Henry pursed his lips in thought. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“You know,” Hook let go of the young man’s shoulder and gestured at himself, “your own kind. Men, lad! Being around all these women all the time isn’t natural. You need to spend some time with the males of species so you don’t…”

“You know,” Henry sidestepped and reached for the inside doorknob of the front door, effectively physically cutting Hook off from going further into his home as he verbally cut into the pirate’s diatribe on manliness, “my mom raised me all by herself for eleven years, and, for most of my life, the people teaching me, protecting me, and taking care of me have been women, so I don’t really think I’m going to like whatever you’re about to say next. I have a lot of respect for my moms, and Grams, and Granny, and Belle, and Ruby and all the other woman in my life. There’s nothing wrong with being around women. Why would you think there would be?”

“Henry, I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just saying that it’s healthy to be around _both_ women _and_ men.” Hook started to reach out to give Henry a hearty pat on the shoulder only for the other man to pull away before contact was made.

“I _am_ around both, and, you know, I…” Henry huffed out his frustration as he considered why this conversation was even happening. With an irritated grunt, he again narrowed his eyes at Hook and asked in a slightly suspicious tone, “What are you even doing here? I thought you were looking for a job?”

“I’ve got a good lead on one, don’t you worry,” Killian replied with a sly grin.

Henry rolled his eyes in a very Regina-like manner. “Yeah, that’s what you said last week and the week before that. Look, Mom’s working hard at the station to pay the bills. Don’t you want to help her?”

Hook’s friendly demeanor fell away in a flood of anger and irritation. “I help, Henry.”

“You cook questionable food that Mom doesn’t really like but she eats anyway because she’s trying, and I think you do occasional odd jobs, but that’s not enough to really help. I mean, you’re her true love, right? Shouldn’t you want to lighten her burden like she does for you? That’s what Grams and Gramps do for each other, and Grandpa and Belle are like that, too. Isn’t that what you want for Mom? To make her life easier and better?”

“My relationship between you and your mom is just that, lad; it’s between us. I said I help, and so I do. Just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there. Besides, it’s none of your conc….”

“It _is_ my concern because she’s my Mom, and I want to be happy. Lately, she really hasn’t been. You’re _supposed_ to make her happy, not make her feel bad all the time because all she does is work at the station all day and then goes home and works there. That’s not fair.”

“That’s married life, Henry!” Killian’s voice roared through the entryway of the mansion and echoed through the staircase. “Why doesn’t anyone in this town understand what marriage is? You’d think a bunch of True Love romancers would understand marriage. Women have roles to fill. Men have roles to fill. It’s the way of things, as it’s been since my own parents were alive.”

“Your parents were alive literally centuries ago. Times change, and how things work change.” Henry stepped forward, forcing Hook to take a step backwards and out onto the front porch. “My mom isn’t your property, Killian, and she’s not just your wife. She’s a person. I thought you got that. I thought you understood that Mom needs someone who supports her, not expects her to be something she’s not.” He shook his head and moved to stand just inside the doorframe. “I thought you understood my Mom. That’s what True Love means. It means you get each other, but you don’t seem to get anything. Is that why you don’t have a real job yet? Is it because you feel like Mom is doing your job because she’s the provider?”

“That’s not what’s going on here, and, frankly, Henry, you’re out of line. My marriage to your mother is…”

“Rocky.” Henry stated with finality. “I wanted to root for you, Killian. I did, but maybe that’s not what you need.”

Hook’s jaw flexed as his eyes tensed more. “And what do you think I need, Henry?”

“If I knew that, maybe I could help Mom, too, but, whatever it is, it’s not at the fishing pier.” Stepping back, Henry gave a final shake of his head. “Get a job, Hook,” he declared before closing the door in the other man’s face.

For a long, enraged moment, Killian stood on the Mills’ front porch to glare at the closed door before turning around and stomping off toward the street.


	6. Chapter 6

Emma floated peacefully on her back across the calm surface of the cool lake. The warm sun gave her just enough heat to keep from feeling chilled by the water surrounding her. With each deep inhale, she could feel the water move to hold her up, and, with each soothing exhale, the world felt just a touch more peaceful.

Not far away, Regina also floated along the lake’s surface. She, too, enjoyed the juxtaposition of the warm sun and the cool water. With the bubble they’d created for themselves within the waters of the lake, she felt safe.

In the hour or so she and Emma had been quietly floating and swimming in the water, she’d sensed nothing but serenity. It was a welcome sensation and one she couldn’t remember having in a very long while.

Sometimes, she silently mused to herself, you just needed to be.

It was Emma who finally broke their mutually enjoyed quiet with a sneeze that scared Regina and pulled her out of her meditative floating and down under the water’s suddenly choppy surface.

“Oh crap,” Emma began to tread water as she frantically looked around for the brunette. “Regina?” The water’s surface didn’t show any signs of someone resurfacing. “Shit. Regina!” Her voice began to veer into panicky. “Oh no. No. Nooooo, no, no, no, no.” She took in a deep breath and dove under the water.

As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw the older woman holding her own place under the waves with a smirk on her face. Emma balked, reaching out to grab the brunette in a desperate attempt to do _something_ for the scare she’d just gotten.

Regina paddled away and upward for a badly needed breath of air. With a giant gasp, Regina resurfaced. She was laughing as she flipped her wet hair from her eyes and wiped the water away only to find Emma staring at her with the strangest look. “What? Come on, Emma, it was just a little joke.”

“Yeah,” the blonde replied in a stilted tone before slowly pulling one hand out of the water to show off the dark blue material entangled with her fingers. “This wasn’t. I… uh… accident. It was an accident.”

Regina’s eyebrows went up, and she quickly glanced down to realize she was completely bare from the waist up. With a snort, she shrugged as best she could while treading water. “Well, it’s not like you haven’t seen breasts before, and goodness knows I could actually do without the tan lines.” She looked back up to find Emma looking anywhere but at her. “Oh, for goodness sake’s, Emma. You have a pair of your own.”

“Yeah, but they’re not half as nice as yours,” the blonde blurted out before she could stop the word vomit. Her face fell into immediate mortification as, despite herself, her eyes swung back to look at Regina and gauge just how badly that comment had gone. “I mean… um, your… uh… your, well, just,” she sputtered for a moment more before finally blurting out, “Well, just _look_ at you. Regina, I know you know that you’re the best-looking person in town. I mean, come _on_.”

“Do I?” The older woman’s eyes danced with a mixture of mischief and curiosity. “I’m sure there are plenty in town who’d say my past makes me fairly unattractive.”

“Yeah, well, that’s because those people suck,” Emma replied, her eyes finally deciding to settle fully back on Regina’s. “Even when I thought you were trying to kill me and I hated your guts, I’ve thought you were the most attractive person I’d ever seen.”

Tilting her head in thought, Regina considered the remark for a moment. “What about Hook?”

“He’s dashing, and he can be charming. I mean, don’t get me wrong. He’s attractive, but,” Emma shook her head. “Regina, look, we can’t have this conversation.”

“Why not?” Pushing closer, Regina glided effortlessly into Emma’s personal space. “What does it matter now anyway? You’ve made your choice.”

“Yeah,” Emma’s eyes flickered down again, and she swallowed weakly, “yeah, I did, and that’s why we can’t do this.”

“If you think I’m going to do something questionable with a married woman, Ms. Swan,” Regina’s voice took a harsh turn as she reached forward and unceremoniously yanked her bathing suit top from Emma’s rigid fingers, “then you don’t know me very well.”

“No, I don’t think that.” Closing her eyes, Emma forced herself backward in the water and away from the other woman. “Maybe, if things had been different…”

“But they weren’t.” Regina turned and headed for shore, pulling herself out of the water in one elegant motion before waving her hand to both dry and dress herself. “I’m headed back to camp for something to eat. What are you going to do?”

Emma shook her head. “I honestly don’t know.”

With a derisive snort, Regina turned to walk away, calling over her shoulder, “You know where to find me when you figure it out.”

 

* * *

 

 

Emma had given Killian three days to get his act together. It was day two, so Emma felt it wasn’t fair to come back early. She’d given him that amount of time to do _something_ , and, if she were honest with herself, she didn’t really want to go back.

However, she was almost positive she couldn’t remain in the woods with Regina, either. Her one moment of refuge, and she’d managed to mess it up because she couldn’t keep herself in check.

Sighing heavily, she pushed back into the water to float along the lake’s gentle current. It seemed so unfair that nothing was going right. They’d defeated the darkness. This was supposed to be everyone’s happy endings. Everything was supposed to be fine now, but it wasn’t. It just wasn’t.

Her marriage to Killian was getting worse with each passing day, and, despite her parents’ reassurances that all new marriages have some bumps, she was beginning to strongly doubt the issue was just a bump of newly married life. It felt more like an impasse, though she didn’t know why. She’d tried talking to him about her concerns with their relationship. He’d deflected, tried to give his best charming grin, and then pushed off into something else. It’d worked for a while, but charm is only usable until the annoying things about a person override it.

He rarely cooked, and, when he did, he left a mess behind. He didn’t clean the house. He wouldn’t dress appropriately to attend town events with her. He still often said extremely misogynistic things both about her and about the other women in the town. Whenever she tried to explain to him why his words were hurtful and/or wrong, he ignored her with a chuckle and a comment about being overly sensitive about something that was a joke or meaningless at best. He’d begun to sneak rum again, he spent more time at the dock than he did with her most days, and he wouldn’t get a job.

No matter what happened, no matter how much she tried to talk to him, beg him, plead with him, or threaten him he just refused to grow. He refused to learn how to integrate with the society he was in now, and, worst of all, he had fully stopped listening to her as soon as she’d said, “I do.”

It was infuriating. He’d courted her on the basis of being drawn to her independence. He’d perused her through realms and time knowing exactly who she was. She’d spent the first half of their time together telling him no, but he was so persistent. He’d done everything, both reasonable and good and questionable, to show her how much he wanted to be with her. He spent so much time and energy into being with her, and it seemed so wrong and confusing that, now that there were married, he was no longer interested in being a “better man.” The only time he showed interested anymore was when they were in public or when he wanted something.

She grunted with surprise and turned to swim to shore. Stepping out, she waved a hand to dry off and dress. “How did I miss that?” She shook her head and looked down to her left hand. “I need to find Killian and ask Captain Ahab if this was a harpoon.”

 

* * *

 

 

Killian walked along the dock and stared absently around him. It was busy, of course. It always was on Saturdays. He had come down to clear his head. He’d gone to the station hoping to figure out what was wrong with Emma, but all he’d run into was Charming, and all he’d gotten was a lecture about ownership, which was ridiculous. After that, he’d gone to Henry to spend some quality time with the boy, but that had ended with a door being slammed in his face after yet another lecture about what he should do in his marriage.

What do they know? It’s not _theirs_. He hadn’t asked either one of them for them to take it upon themselves to butt into his relationship with Emma. For that matter, he’d never asked a single soul in town for their two cents, yet, if he’d literally had two cents for every time someone had given him “just some advice,” he’d have a years’ wages, which he could then give to Emma to get her to stop harping on him.

It wasn’t as though he hadn’t tried to get work, but work was hard to come by when you weren’t the one in charge of it. He was accustomed to being the captain, and it rubbed him the wrong way that not only was he no longer captain of his work but not even the navigator of his own life. He’d spent hundreds of years doing things in his own way and his own time. Now he was suddenly supposed to be fine with doing what everyone told him. When had people lost sight of the importance of being independent? The whole world had gone mad since he was first stuck in Neverland.

Jumping a barrier on the dock, he landed with a thud on the wet sand below. Maneuvering through low tide pools and washed up debris, he ducked under the docks to make his way to a reclusive corner under a warehouse. The view of the sea was fantastic with a brisk salty breeze and a place carved into the rock from years of wear that made for a good place to settle. It was enough removed from the rest of the docks that it was rare for someone to be over here unless they were entering the warehouse, but, since the warehouse was for overflow shipments, and that practically never happened in Storybrooke, it meant this was his safe place.

No one to find him to make demands upon him or tell him what he should be doing. Just the sea and peace that comes with it.

“I figured you’d show up here eventually.”

He pulled in a sharp breath and turned to the voice. “Emma? What are you doing here?”

“Killian,” she began through a sigh as she moved over the rocks to settle opposite him on the outcrop, “We need to talk.”

“Alright,” he shifted back, crossing his arms, “are you here to apologize for your outburst yesterday?”

Emma’s jaw flexed and her eyes narrowed for a quick second. “I’m here to talk about this.” She motioned between them. “Because this,” she motioned again, “isn’t working, and I want to know why. Don’t you?”

“Swan, I’m trying to find a job. It’s jus…”

“I didn’t come here for us to have that fight again, Killian.” She held her left hand up and pointed to the wedding ring glinting in the afternoon sun. “I want you to be honest with me.”

He nodded. “I always am.”

Ignoring him, she pressed on. “When you asked me to marry you, and I said yes, what was the very next thought that entered your mind? What was the _very first_ thing you thought to yourself as soon as you slipped the engagement ring on my hand?”

He stared at her curiously for a long moment before clearing his throat and looking out over the waves behind her. “Is this some kind of game, Emma?”

“No, Killian, it’s a simple question.” She leaned into his view, eyes demanding that he focus back on her. “What was your first thought?”

Sighing and giving a bothered shrug, Hook looked at the hand still being held up. “I don’t really know _exactly_ what I thought. It was a while ago.” He glanced to her face and winced at the anger radiating back at him. “You’d been playing hard to get for so long.” He rolled his eyes. “It was something along the lines of how you were finally mine and how happy I was you’d said yes.”

She let her hand drop back down to her lap with a thud. “How I was finally yours?”

“Well, yes, just as I was finally yours. It’s a two-way street, Emma.”

“You know,” she stood and started to pace only to find there wasn’t enough room. Growling frustrated, she pivoted on her heels to glare down at her husband, “I was never a prize to be won.”

“I didn’t say that,” Killian objected, eyebrows raising a bit. “I said…”

“That I’d been playing hard to get and now I was finally yours. Yeah, I heard you, but you’re not hearing me, and, you know, I don’t think you ever have.” She motioned between them yet again. “This is supposed to be a partnership. There is no ownership in a partnership, Killian. That… _that_ is what’s wrong with our marriage, isn’t it? Now that you’ve caught the thing you were pursuing, you’re not interested in it anymore.”

“First of all, Emma, I understand you’re not a thing, but marriage isn’t as _simple_ as a basic partnership.” Killian stood, giving his own growl at the lack of space. “There are imbalances sometimes because roles are sometimes imbalanced. It’s what happens. Sometimes people go through rough patches. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made. Hardship is part of married life. You are _my_ wife, and, as my wife, you should be doing certain things without complaint. You should be supporting me and my interests. You should be _my_ first officer in life, not the other way around. That’s the way it was with my parents. That’s the way it was with their parents, and that’s the way it’s always been and the way it always _will be_.  You have a duty to…”

“Killian, if you value your life, you’ll stop talking right now.” Emma’s voice barely registered over the sound of the crashing waves behind her. “I’m your _wife_ , not your _slave_. You knew going into this that I wasn’t going to follow you around and agree to whatever you wanted as your whims hit you. I had a family and a life of my own before I ever married you, and that didn’t change after we said our vows. You know,” she huffed at him, shaking her head sadly from side to side, “you spent so much time going after me, and I kept telling you no. I _meant_ it every time I told you no. It wasn’t a game I was playing. I wasn’t trying to be hard to get. I was in _mourning_. The father of my child had just died, for God’s sake.”

“But you did say yes eventually,” he snarled back. “There was some part of you that wanted to be with me. You just didn’t realize it yet.”

“I said yes in a moment of weakness!” Emma’s voice roared over the ocean. “I’d just seen my parents get together. I’d seen what Regina was like as Queen, and I was emotionally vulnerable. You took advantage. You said all the right things that you knew would hook me in, and I… I said yes because I was tired of saying no.” She threw her hands up in frustration. “I’m not your white whale, Killian. I’m not your prize.”

“You’re my wife,” he yelled back. “You should…”

“See? There you go again. You don’t _listen_. You _never_ listen to me anymore.” Crossing her arms, she glared back at him. “Why are you so hard to talk to? Why can’t we just be? Why does it always have to be _something_ with you? Killian,” suddenly her anger gave way to a deep pit of sadness, “relationships shouldn’t be this hard.”

Anger turned to panic in Hook’s voice. “What are you saying, Emma?”

She sighed in defeat and held her left hand up again to look at the rings sitting on her finger. “I’m saying I don’t want to do this anymore.” Her frown deepened as she pulled the rings from her finger and grabbed his hand to drop them into his palm. “I _can’t_ do this anymore.” Letting go of his hand, she took a small step back. “I want a divorce.”

“What? No,” he started to reach for her, but she was gone a second later in a puff of smoke.

The ocean roared in front of him as he stood looking down at the rings in his hand. Panic gave way to sadness, which rolled into a deep, seething anger. With a loud yell, he hurtled the rings into the ocean and turned to climb out of his safe place, which would forever be tainted by this moment.


	7. Chapter 7

“Emma, are you okay?” Snow handed her a cup of hot chocolate, placing a supportive hand on her daughter’s forearm. “Did you and Killian get into a fight? Maybe you two could still work it out?”

“Not really.” The younger woman took a slow sip of her drink. “Mom, what would you say if I told that I think I married the wrong person?”

Snow paused for a second in her coffee making motions before visibly forcing herself to move. “I know you and Killian are having a rough patch right now.”

“It’s more than that.” Emma gave her mother a pleading look, needing her to understand, to _listen_ to what she was saying. “He’s not supportive. I… we talked today, and he made it clear that he believes I should be submissive to him and his needs. He doesn’t want a partner. He wants a… a… slave. He wants a slave.” She sighed. “He never wanted me as a partner. I was a prize for him.”

Walking around the island, Snow leaned a hip against the edge and faced her daughter. “Is that how you really feel?”

“Yeah,” Emma nodded slowly as she turned to face her mother. “I’ve been thinking about this a long time, and I just don’t think this is going to work long term. I’m _not_ a prize or someone’s second. I don’t want that. I want something like you and Dad have. I want a partnership with someone who respects me, listens to me, and sees me as their equal.”

Snow nodded understandingly, “And you don’t think that’s Killian?”

“No, I don’t.” Emma ran a weary hand down her face. “I wish it was. I wish everything I’d done and everything I’ve put the family through _for_ Killian wasn’t about to be wasted time and energy. I’ve put everyone through so much because I thought I loved him. I thought he was it, my true love, but,” she swallowed a few times, rolling her eyes upward to stop the tears, “I don’t think he is. How _could_ he be when this is how he thinks about me? My true love would never see me as an object.” Despite her best efforts, she could feel a tear streak down her face. “True love’s kiss never once worked for us, but I was so desperate to make this work after falling for his game… I just wanted to do the right thing… I don’t want to disappoint anyone, especially you and Dad… I just…”

Her voice broke and the tears came. Snow stepped forward to pull her daughter into a tight hug. “Your father and I just want you to be happy, sweetie. We’ll support you, regardless.”

Through her tears, Emma pulled in a long, gasping breath. “I’m not happy with him. I thought I was, but,” she sniffled, pulling away to wipe at her eyes, “I’m not me when I’m around him.”

Again, Snow gave a sage nod. “So what will you do now?”

Emma grabbed a paper towel to wipe her face and blow her nose. “I want a divorce.”

With a small, resigned sigh, Snow moved back around to her coffee cup. “Do you know what you’ll do after that?”

“Well,” Emma pulled her hot chocolate closer to stare down into the milky brown liquid and scrunched her face as her silhouette stared back at her. “First, Killian is moving out of my house.” She finally took another sip of her drink as she thought. “No, first I’m going to talk to Henry about all of this, and then Killian is moving out of my house. After that,” she shrugged. “I don’t know, but, whatever I do, it’s going to be because _I_ want to do it and not because I think it’s what I should do or because someone else thinks it’s what I should do.” Looking up at Snow, she gave a weak smile. “You know, I feel better already.”

“Well, it’s a start,” her mother replied with a small, tight smile of her own. “Emma, I don’t want to push you, but may I ask you a question about what you said earlier?” When the blonde gave a nod yes, she hesitantly continued. “You asked me what I would say if you told me you thought you married the wrong person.” She shifted her weight, a frown pulling at the corners of her mouth. “Does that mean you have feelings for someone else?”

Emma’s eyes opened wide and she swallowed hard. “I… what I meant when I asked that was just that… I mean…” She groaned and grimaced. “Would you be mad if I said maybe?”

“No,” Snow let out a grim chuckle, mostly to herself. “I can’t say that it would even surprise me.”

“Really?” Emma tilted her head in question. “Mom, if you think I’ve been cheating on Killian…”

“No, I know you wouldn’t do that. At least, I know you wouldn’t do that intentionally, anyway.” Snow finished her coffee and began to wash the mug out as she continued, keeping he eyes on her work. “It’s okay, Emma. I just want you to know that it’s okay. Like I said, all your father and I want is for you to be happy with someone you feel is right for you, and we understand if you don’t think it’s Killian.” She carefully placed the wet mug in the strainer and deliberately dried her hands in order to make a break in her thoughts. “We’ll even understand if you find happiness with a friend,” she swallowed and forced herself to look knowingly at her daughter, “a _female_ friend.”

Emma pushed away from the island, standing as if she’d been shocked. “Mom, I never said that.”

“I know, honey, but, if it happens that the person who makes you happy is a woman,” Snow offered a soft, supportive smile, “then that’s okay. Love is love, Emma.”

The blonde took in a deep breath and slowly released it. “Yeah, unless it’s infatuation mixed with adrenaline. Then it’s not love. It’s confusion.”

“Do you really think that’s the case between you and,” Snow grunted back the name she was going to say and filled in with a stilted, “whomever?”

With a small shake of her head, Emma crossed her arms and looked upwards as if the answer would be above. “No,” she finally admitted as she pulled her gaze back down to her mother. “No, I don’t. I used to think we clicked because of… well, it’s just that we both…” She rolled her eyes, determined not to name names.

Snow showed mercy. “You and Regina share more than Henry. At one time,” she acknowledged with an amused tilt her head, “I’m pretty sure what you shared were the hots for each other, a competitive streak, and some sort of strange respect for one another, but I’d say that’s all changed.”

Emma barked out a relieved chuckled. “No, I’d say that’s all still there, too, but,” she shrugged, “it’s more than that. I can’t explain it well, but, with Regina, I can just be.” She grumbled at her lack of words. “You know? I don’t have to _be_ anything or _do_ anything. We can just exist in each other’s space and be content.”

“I get I, Emma. I do.” Snow walked around the island again to offer her daughter hug. “Our family tree is about to get a lot stranger, I think.”

Emma pulled back, aghast. “First of all, let’s not get ahead of ourselves, okay? I haven’t even asked her on date. Hell, _I’m still married_ , and I’m not asking her on a date until the paperwork is final. Second of all, I’m glad you’re okay with this. I thought you might be upset.”

“I was upset seeing you lose that spark in your eye that made you who you are, and it seemed to die with each day that passed with Killian.” Snow grinned, reaching up to boop her daughter’s nose. “It’s starting to come back, and,” she stepped back to walk toward Neal’s play area for a quick check, “don’t worry about the town. Anyone who has an issue with any of this can answer to me and your father.”

The blonde laughed. “Thanks, Mom.”

“Of course, honey,” Snow reached down to scoop Neal up in her arms, “that’s what parents are for.”  
  


* * *

 

 

“Well, I take it your extended holiday wasn’t much of one?” Zelena handed her sister a cup of coffee as Regina settled on one of the stools to her kitchen island, careful to make sure her robe remained in place.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she grumbled as she stirred in creamer and watched the redhead make breakfast. “It’s going to be a long week at work this week. We’ve got several projects on the table that require final approvals before Friday, and there’s a town hall meeting Thursday night that I need to prep for.” She took a test sip of coffee, shrugged, and took a larger sip. “In other words, don’t expect to see me much this week.”

“So, just another typical Monday morning, then?” With a wink and a smirk, Zelena pushed a plate of eggs towards her sister. “I assume you and your favorite sheriff will be spending some quality time together.”

Regina growled under her breath. “No, I don’t think that will be happening.”

“No?” The taller woman tilted her head in thought. “I thought surely you’d jump on the chance to spend more time with Emma given the new circumstances.”

Regina ignored the eggs in favor of the coffee. “What circumstances?”

“Oh, you don’t know!” Zelena’s eyes brightened with glee as she slid onto a stool opposite her sister. Conspiratorially, she leaned forward and delightedly half-whispered to her sister, “Emma came over yesterday to talk to Henry, and I _may_ have overheard what they were talking about.” She waved Regina’s disapproval away before it could come out. “Emma told Henry that _she is divorcing the pirate_.”

“What?” Regina could feel the shock register on her face but couldn’t push it away.

“Yes!” Zelena’s eyes widened with excitement at the gossip she was bestowing on her sister. “She came over to talk to Henry about it because she didn’t want him to be too upset, but, come to find out, Henry’s not a fan of guyliner anyway, and, when he asked her why she finally decided to pull the plug, she said something about the pirate not being the person she can just exist with.” Zelena scrunched her nose up. “Whatever that means.”

Regina cleared her throat and tried to pull herself back together. “I suppose,” she replied in a weak voice, “it means someone she can be herself around without having to be or, perhaps, do anything else but simply be.” She tried for a nonchalant shrug, but it came off stiffly. “That would be my guess.”

Zelena sat back and gave the brunette a questioning look. “You guess? Hmmm,” she smirked, “Well, whatever it means, it _also_ means that Emma is on the market again. Sis, this is your chance!”

“If Emma is going to go through a divorce, that’s going to be hard for her, even if she knows Hook isn’t the right person to share her life with. It can’t be easy. I’m not going to rush in while she’s vulnerable. That isn’t how this should work. _If_ Emma is interested in something more with me, I want her to feel right about it in her own time.”

“What if she’s waiting for you to ask?” Zelena huffed in frustration. “You two are going to miss the boat because you’re too caught up in not ‘taking advantage’ of the other one. Come now, Sis, someone has to make the first move.”

“If the divorce goes through and _after_ Emma has had some time to process,” Regina replied quietly, thoughtful of what would be considerate of Emma, “then I’ll ask her on a date.”

Zelana grinned. “Good!” She stood up to make another cup of coffee. “I’m going to hold you to that. I’m tired of seeing you mopey all the time,” she declared with a grin.


	8. Chapter 8

“Sheriff, our meeting is on Friday,” Regina declared without looking up from her paperwork. “It’s Wednesday.”

“This couldn’t wait,” Emma replied as she strolled through the double doors to Regina’s desk and thrust a large envelope over the other woman’s work.

“What’s this?” The brunette finally looked up. “Some kind of emergency paperwork?”

“Something like that,” the sheriff replied, dropping the envelope into the mayor’s hands. “Open it.”

Cautiously, Regina leaned back in her chair and opened the envelope. Inside was a thick bunch of stapled documents with a visible seal at the bottom of the first page. A quick glance over the paperwork made her swallow back the sudden cyclone of emotions inside of her. “These are divorce papers.”

“Those are _finalized_ divorce papers,” Emma corrected. “Killian will be out of my house by the end of the week, and, honestly, I don’t give a damn where he goes.”

“You divorced Killian,” Regina muttered mostly to herself as she flipped through the court documents.

“Yes, I did, and,” Emma leaned over the desk to catch the other woman’s eyes, “I knew where you were, so I came to find you.”

“You…” Regina’s brows knit in thought. “Came to find me? What… oh.” Her mind flashed to the previous weekend and the last words she’d said to Emma. “Oh,” she said again as her brain caught up, “you don’t think it’s too soon? These were just finalized a few hours ago. Don’t you need time?”

“I think it’s too late,” Emma replied determinedly. “In fact, I think it’s a few _years_ too late, so, no, I don’t want to wait, but, if you do, then, let me know. I don’t want to force you into anything.”

“And I don’t want you to feel rushed.” Regina dropped the documents back into the envelope before placing it on top of the papers on her desk. “You know, my sister says we’re going to miss our chance because we’re both too scared of accidentally taking advantage of each other.”

Emma chuckled. “She might be on to something.” Taking in a deep, cleansing breath, the blonde asked with a small grin. “How about we prove her wrong, Madam Mayor?”

A small smirk pulled at Regina’s lips. “What did you have in mind, Sheriff?”

“Well, first of all,” Emma picked the envelope up again to reseal it, “we get through the rest of this week, and, this weekend, we try the whole secluded-in-the-woods thing again, but, this time without the weird sexual tension.”

Regina quirked an eyebrow. “Are you propositioning me and we haven’t even been on a date yet?”

“No, I said without the _weird_ sexual tension. I’m expecting regular, first time dating kind of sexual tension, which is completely different, and, if I’m lucky, maybe even some light making out.” The blonde gave her best charming grin.

“Now I _know_ you’re propositioning me,” the older woman said through an amused laugh. “Luckily for you, I’m open to the suggestion.” Standing, Regina made her way around her desk to stand in front of the sheriff. “Are you sure, Emma?”

With a nod, Emma leaned forward to place a chaste kiss upon Regina’s waiting lips. “I can’t remember that last time I was so sure of anything, Regina. What do you say? Would you do me the honor of allowing me to be your possible happy ending?”

Leaning forward, the brunette stole another chaste kiss. “Only if you’ll do the same for me.”

Emma’s smile beamed. “Deal.”

Regina’s matched. “Deal.”

 

* * *

 

 

“The lake is lovely at this time in the evening,” Regina lazily commented as she shifted to find a more comfortable place to lay against Emma.

The blonde gave an affirming hum, gazing affectionately down at the other woman squirming against her. “I’m glad we decided to do this again.”

“Me, too.” With a deep sigh full of relief, Regina reached behind her to pull one of the younger woman’s arms around her. “What are we going to tell people, Emma? With how fast we’re moving, you know how this will look.”

“I’m not sure anyone would blame me for cheating on Killian with you, but,” Emma bent her head down just enough to place an affectionate kiss atop the other woman’s head, “I’m pretty sure everyone in town knew that my marriage was a disaster. I don’t think anyone is surprised I called it off.”

Regina sat up with a groan and turned to look down at her companion, a small, intimate smile gracing her lips. “Who said our relationship isn’t going to be a disaster as well?”

“Considering we’ve done the worst possible things to each other outside of killing the other person, and we still want to climb each other, I’d say we’re probably fine.” With a smirk, Emma waggled her eyebrows suggestively for good measure.

“You are _actually_ a child,” Regina replied with a chuckle. “I’m a queen. Queens don’t climb.” She leaned forward to steal Emma’s breath away with a deep, searing kiss. “I command.”

“Yeah,” Emma swallowed a few times as she tried to find her voice. “You sure do.” The hand still resting on Regina’s side flexed. “But, technically, I’m a princess. I can do my own commanding.”

“Is that so?” Again, Regina leaned forward. This time she nipped at the other woman’s neck, making a line to her ear before whispering hotly, “Then command me, _princess._ ”

The blonde’s body stiffened, and she could feel her temperature climb. “Regina.” With self-control she didn’t know she possessed, she sat up, pushing them both into a sitting position to provide some space. “We don’t have to… _you know_ … I mean, it’s not that I don’t want to because I do. God, do I want you.” She awkwardly ran a hand over the back of her neck. “But I don’t want you to think that’s all I want from you because I don’t.”

“You know what I think?” Regina’s face fell into a gentle, open smile as her eyes twinkled with the dying light. “I think you want someone you can spend hours with in silence and it feel perfectly comfortable. I think you want someone who understands you and accepts you for both your light and dark sides without demands that you change a thing about you. I think you want someone who will actually listen to you and honor what you say is important to you. You want a partner, and,” she reached out to take Emma’s hand in her own, “so do I. So, if you’re not ready to do more than cuddle on a pallet by the lake, then that’s fine with me. I’d like to think we’re in this together.”

Emma brought Regina’s hand up to her lips to place a soft kiss on the back of the older woman’s hand. “You’re perfect, you know that?”

Regina quietly chuckled, rolling her eyes at the sentimentality shining on the blonde’s face. “There are _many_ who would likely disagree with you.”

With a shrug, Emma pulled Regina back to her to resettle on the pallet to watch the sun slowly fall beyond the horizon and the stars begin to sparkle in the sky. “If they can’t see perfection, then that’s their loss.”

Snuggling into the Emma’s arms, Regina laughed gently. “Perhaps we’re simply perfect for each other?”

Emma hummed in thought for a second. “Even better.”


End file.
